Fox in the Ferns
by Poixon28
Summary: RWBY AU Following the birth and rise of a young faunus named Sorrell as she discovers her future as a huntress in a world where her people are oppressed and known as terrorists. Note: Many characters in the story, including the main character, are oc, however there will be appearances by the actual characters from RWBY.
1. Chapter 1

Light poured in to the enclosed area through small cracks in the roof. The house, if you could call it that, was nestled between two large buildings. It was made of wood and cardboard, barely able to hold the rain. It was where Thalia Leafwood slept every night and where she came back to after her bloody adventures.

There are a few things to be noted about Thalia Leafwood. The first, and most noticeable, is that she is beautiful beyond all doubt. Her golden eyes rest on a milky pale color of her soft round face framed by long, silky red hair, making her the picture of innocence. Another thing to be noted is that the innocence she so carefully wields is in fact the greatest facade. Behind her kind beauty there is a dark, bloody evil and the work she carries out is indeed that of a skilled mercenary.

It is hard for any commoner to tell what worldly thing possessed her to do the things she did, but for those who know her history it is simple. Thalia is the daughter of a faunus prostitute, her mother abandoned her after getting pregnant and she was raised by an abusive father. None of the faunus traits were passed to her, making her appear completely human. Growing up she had discovered a very unusual semblance, the ability to turn off other people's auras and make them vulnerable to attacks. As a mercenary this came in extremely useful.

At this time Thalia was staring deeply into a hand mirror and running a brush through her hair. Ever so carefully she wrapped a ribbon around her locks and pulled them into a bun. In the corner of the small shack sat a tan box which, upon completing her bun, she promptly reached for. Removing the lid, a black dress of extravagant design was revealed. The cost of it, the black heels she wore, and the lovely laced mask which sat at the bottom of the box had cost her the small fortune she saved from her jobs.

Next to the mirror, now lying on the furs she called a bed, was a pink invitation addressed to the governess of a wealthy family whose house had mysteriously burnt down one night. The letters had been gently replaced with Thalia's own name and no sign showed that it had been tampered with. Thalia smiled to herself, every kill had led up to this night, the night that she would meet Cale Brightfall, owner of a large coffee company and infamous hunter. The same Cale whose governess of his daughter had overdosed on medicine and died only a week before.

Slipping off her robe she slipped her slender body into the dress and tied the mask around her face. Very silently she slipped out of the shelter and onto the empty street. Just up ahead a limousine waited patiently, billowing smoke into the last rays of sunlight. Looking around the crowded street, she climbed into the vehicle and nodded at the driver, who smiled back at her. "Looking lovely as ever Thalia. This was an odd request, but anything for you." He had dark hair in small curls that rimmed the top of his golden brown eyes.

"Dalton, thank you for this ride. I'm afraid that after tonight we will not come into contact again. I'm moving on." She said as she nestled into the seat and poured herself a glass of champagne. Thalia had spent many days looking for a man like Dalton, all in an attempt to fulfill her scheme tonight. He was an older limousine driver, but his pleasure at the murder of others made him a good confidant. It all would lead up to tonight.

"I know, it's been a good time. It's safe to say that I'll miss your fun with fire. 3 house fires and 6 missing bodies and not a single sign of arson." He pulled the limo onto the empty street, talking over his shoulder as he made his way up a large hill. Thalia sipped the champagne once more and smiled, recalling the memories.

"Yes, fire is very clean. Burn the victims and bury their teeth, or throw them to the Grimm. It leaves no trace of homicide." She had no troubles explaining to him and smiled at the thought of him getting home only to find a bomb of red dust was waiting under his bed. She could take no risks, not if her plan was to truly succeed, even if it meant killing her only friend. Thalia was just finishing her champagne when Dalton pulled into the grand driveway that circled a tall fountain, illuminated by glowing white lights. With a final goodbye to her soon to be dead friend, Thalia climbed out of the limousine and sauntered up the steps of the great marble mansion without so much as a farewell.

Inside the mansion two sets of stairs on either side of the great room wrapped around to an upper balcony. Between the stairs on the first floor were two great doors thrown open to reveal a practically glowing ballroom filled with masked people. In front of the open doors was a butler, standing completely straight. Upon approach, he turned to look at Thalia. His grey hair and dark eyes stared unknowingly into hers. "Your invitation ma'am." She smiled brilliantly, letting her innocently warm eyes do the talking as she extended her invitation. He looked it once over before waving her through the door. "Welcome to the Brightfall masquerade." He bowed. She smiled once more, not saying anything and started into the group of people.

Once inside she scanned the crowd, looking for the man she had gone through so much trouble to find. A few heads turned to look at her in appreciation and some, mainly from other women, in contempt and jealousy. Finally she spotted the fair hair of the man she wanted towards the back of the room, laughing with another. Smiling she made her way through the crowd which parted from her like water underneath a high speed boat.

The man had his back turned to her and was drinking from what looked like a cocktail. The other man he was talking to, who happened to be facing Thalia, stopped mid sentence to gape at the exquisite beauty in front of him. Cale turned his head slowly and, after staring wide-eyed for a moment, bowed his head. "Why good evening miss…?" He trailed off. She smiled,

"Thalia, you may call me Thalia." He words were hypnotic in a weird way, making her beauty glow brighter. He grinned taking her hand and bringing it to his lips in a small gesture of his growing attraction.

"Well, Ms. Thalia, what brings you too my masque tonight?" She brought a look of sorrow to her golden eyes.

" I came in search of a little fun to fill these sad nights. You see, I was the governess of the Marauds household. When the tragic fire happened I was put out of work and sent home to a dying mother." Cale's face slowly lost its grin as he heard the story. "I don't mean to trouble you with my sorrows sir, I thought it polite to introduce myself to the host.

"Oh! It is no trouble." He assured,"I am so sorry to hear of your loss." Then the idea that Thalia had waited so long to hear was brought to his mind. Here was this beautiful woman, intelligent enough to be his governess and a daughter upstairs who's own governess had died. "I actually have a daughter that is in need of a teacher. Her name is Cinder and her mother recently came down with an illness. If you would like the job, it is extended to you with open arms." Thalia smiled so brightly that Cale's heart clenched in admiration.

"When would I start though." He looked down at the cocktail in his hand and, downing the rest of its contents, he nearly shouted,

"How about in a week? I'll have one of my cars pick up you and your things." Thalia was pleased with her work, she had not intended for her plan to go this well.

"I would love to start in a week. But I'll arrive on my own." Cale nodded, already the drunken glow had sank into his cheeks.

"I will see you in seven nights then." He kissed her hand one more time before grabbing another cocktail from a tray being carried by a waiter. Thalia, excited and pleased with her work, wandered around the ball for another hour before leaving and making the down-hill walk to her hole in the ground.

"Don't be shy sweetheart. This is your new teacher. She's very nice and pretty." The voice of her father brought the girl around the corner and finally into view. She was a lovely little thing with pale skin and dark hair. Her eyes reminded Thalia of her own, a very pretty gold. Thalia smiled sweetly at her.

"Hi, your dad says your name is Cinder. What a nice name. Are you excited to learn new things?" The girl gave a shy nod and stepped closer. She was perhaps 5 years old, wearing a clean red dress. Cale smiled at Thalia, pleased that his daughter wasn't running from this stranger. The lessons would go well, he was assured and he watched as the beautiful governess took his daughter's hand and led her into the library.

Meanwhile, his wife was laying in a room at the end of the hall, sick and running a fever. He glanced at the door to the library as it swung shut and then made his way to his dying wife. She was a hollow mask of her once stunning beauty. Her once vibrant brown hair now spilled in a display of grey brown. Her eyes, which were once oceans of aquamarine, were now barren deserts of blue. With weak muscles she raised her hand in a pathetic attempt at a greeting. He smiled sadly at his wife. She was once a beautiful huntress but she had been injured by a faunus terrorist, the wound hadn't been cleaned in time giving her an illness which medics didn't know how to cure. It steadily decreased her strength, leaving her lifeless.

"Hello, my sweet Phera. The doctors told me you would be awake today. How are you feeling?" He knew it was a stupid question to ask but he couldn't help himself. She smiled weakly.

"I'm doing great!" She sighed out in breathes, raising her lips in a sincere smile. Cale's eyes watered slightly at her attempts to make him not worry. He raised his hand to her cheek in gentle stroke.

"I have news, I found a governess for Cinder. She is very well trained and Cinder will be able to train more often." He excitedly told her the news, momentarily forgetting that it was her extraordinary beauty that caught his eye and made him want her to be a governess. However, Phera smiled with effort very sweetly.

"Promise me something?" She asked, weakly taking her husband's hand in hers and gazing into his eyes with all the might she could muster. He nodded his head and agreed with a vehement passion. "Promise me she'll learn to be a huntress, to carry on in my name. Promise."

The night was young when Thalia slipped into the chambers of Mrs. Phera Brightfall. The woman looked at the beautiful governess with awe and longing. She reminded her of her own lost beauty. The woman's beautiful red hair was in a bun with curls hanging from it and she was wearing a long sleeve black dress that came to the floor. She looked very formal as the dress had a long neck and a silver waterfall scarf sticking from her throat. Her bright honey eyes and warm smile made Phera both uneasy and calm, a sensation more common once she had accepted the inevitability of her own death.

"Good evening Ma'am. I thought I should introduce myself, I am Thalia Leafwood, I am the governess your husband hired to teach your daughter Cinder." The woman in the bed smiled.

"Come, sit. i would love to chat with you. it has been ages since i've had the presence of another woman. Tell me about the world." She almost begged. Thalia smiled and went to sit in the chair besides the bed. The woman was comforted in the thought of a friend and it never occurred to her that her husband might fancy someone other than herself,in her mind she was still beautiful to him. Thalia took a seat besides Phera's resting place and carefully grabbed the woman's hand. Her smile, though weak, held a kindness that made Thalia sick in the depths of her stomach. She grinned at the woman.

"It is not too exciting I'm afraid Ma'am. The world is like it always is, busy and loud, and filled with promise." She began. The dying woman listened intently to the gossip of the rich and the humorous occurrences of the poor. She was told about her daughter's progress in training, and her affinity with fire. She listened until exhaustion overcame her and she drifted into a deep sleep. Thalia smiled to herself as she put the woman's hand back on the bed. The silence in the room was eerie, a sound which the murderer had come across often in her work, and for the first time she questioned her decisions. She knew the world was a cruel place, that it was either kill or be killed, and she knew that the weak would always lose. There was no place for kindness or good, not for her anyways. This would be the first and last time that the killer Thalia Leafwood would debate her actions before she slipped a drop of poison into the woman's mouth and left the room.

Cinder was only a child when the servants came to her room with a black dress and a tiny net covering to go over her face. Her memories were limited but the feeling of numbness and sorrow stood out above all else. Her father wouldn't meet her face, but instead stared down at the ground as they walked to a black limousine following a scary looking car. She was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them and she knew that her mother, who had struggled with sickness for many years, lay dead in the car ahead of them. The drive was long, and not many people arrived. It was a private event in the field just beyond the city.

Father had said that the field was where her mother had fought her first Grimm and started training to become a huntress before the sickness took hold. He said it was the fault of the faunus,that she had contracted the disease from one of their protests. She wasn't sure if she believed that. In the center of the field was a large pile of sticks and hay which her mother's mahogany coffin was placed on top of. She held a servant's hand and watched as her beautiful teacher seemed to make fire out of nothing, her dress glowing at the ends, and the pile sparked into flames. The flames warmed Cinder's face, drying her tears to her face. Through the blaze she saw her father take her teacher into an embrace and the smile that spread across the woman's face. The smile that said that the woman couldn't be hurt, the smile that promised strength, and she told herself she would never again be weak as long as that woman could teach her to be strong. The ashes hadn't even cooled before her father and her teacher were engaged to be married.

"I DON"T GIVE A DAMN, JUST GET IT OUT!" Thalia screamed to the doctor as contractions shook her body. Her husband wasn't in the room, it would have been way too risky. Pain shook her body as the child broke free into the arms of the doctor. It had been months of agonizing wait to determine if the child would be born faunus or not, a small difference that would either ruin her life or make it better. The child didn't even cry as it broke into the world but let out a startled yelp as it fell into the arms of the doctor. When Thalia could finally speak she asked the woman what it was and with a sorrowful look, she held up a baby faunus with fox ears and a small but bushy tail. Thalia, now angry that all of her work had been in vain instructed the woman what to do. This, after all, was why it was a private birth and why the doctor had been paid off well.

The woman, who needed the money but whose heart was too kind, looked at the small life she was expected to kill and made her decision, giving the child a small shot of sedatives, a risk she wasn't sure would come out positive for the child,she then placed the little faunus girl in a tray on a roll out cart and began the work on healing the mother. Thalia, who began a facade of tears and exhaustion for her faunus-hating husband, would never know the difference.

When the rich woman was healed and the news broke to the father, the doctor wheeled the cart back to her car and wrapped the child in several blankets, placing her in a box in the backseat. Her drive would be long, but she couldn't let the child die. The girl wiggled a little and began crying softly into the blankets, flooding the woman's face with relief before she pulled out onto the highway and started towards vale where a mysterious old woman lived in the woods and where the child could be raised to fight for good against woman like the mother she would never know.


	2. Chapter 2

Frigid air danced across the room from the open door and on to the peacefully sleeping back of the teenage girl. Startled by the sudden gust of air, she sat up quickly, glancing around accusingly only to find the door open and no one inside. The blue glow of early morning light illuminated features of her surroundings. There was a small kitchen to the left and living space between her and the door. Both of these rooms took up a majority of the circular house. A door just next to the open one leading outside was shut tightly, obviously a bedroom. The girl sat on a pile of blankets in what appeared to be a makeshift bed under a tightly shut ears, which resembled a fox's and sat on top of her head, stood up on end.

"Granny?" She called out, standing very carefully so her feet wouldn't be bombarded by the cold of the wood floor. There was no response, to which the girl let out a long sigh and mumbled unpleasant words under her breath. Next to her bed was a long iridescent bow and a quiver of arrows tipped with dust. Sighing, she picked up the weapon carefully and slipped on a pair of boots over her pajama bottoms. The bedroom door remained tightly shut as the girl stalked out into the freezing morning air in utter irritation.

Outside, in the dim light, was a forest of green shadows. They surrounded a thin field acting as the only barrier between the house and the darkness. If one tried to peek into the dense undergrowth, they would find only shadows, giving away nothing to what lay deep inside the forested area. "Well come on! You woke me up! I don't have all day. Either try to kill me or I'm closing the door and going back to bed!" She shouted, her auburn hair in a bundled mess from sleeping on it and then exposing it to the cold air. From somewhere in the shadows a small piece of darkness grew apart from the rest. Two glowing red eyes stared at the girl in mockery, daring her to challenge it. An electric spark seemed to fill the air as it sauntered into the small clearing between the girl and the trees. There was a sort of intelligence to it, a wisdom not commonly found in a normal grimm, and it looked ready for bloodshed.

The girl, whose skin was prickling from the cold of the morning looked equally ready to kill something, and when the beast stepped into her range she quickly fired an arrow straight for the creature's eyes. It jumped back howling in anger as the tips exploded on it's head. Normally people would be afraid facing a Grimm when they were so unprepared and that early in the morning, but it was something she was used to. As soon as she discovered her semblance it was always fight or die. There was a unique aura around the small house that usually kept the grimm at bay, but every now and then a more intelligent Grimm would get through, would challenge the inhabitants, who dutifully eliminated the threat.

So it was a common occurrence that the girl, now a skilled fighter, would be woken up in the early hours of the morning and led to the field to kill whatever had managed to sneak through the borders. Fear had become such a far away emotion that her actions now were triggered by an instinct to fight and not by dismay as is common with many who face beasts. With skilled precision she flicked the bow so it changed into a long iridescent sword and raced forward to plunge the blade into the beast's side, ending its life with one last howl of agony. Wiping of her blade and standing up straight, the girl turned back to the house, bloodied weapon in hand, but grateful the battle had been quick. Slowly, the chilly air began to creep its way back over her skin as the adrenaline she always felt during a battle started to fade from her veins, and she began hustling back to the warmth of the house.

A woman stood in the doorway of the house. Her long silver hair was woven into a bun resting on her neck and she wore a long bath robe of red silk. Her lovely face was contorted into an expression of irritation. If one didn't know her age they would have never guessed that it would be as old as it was, but the girl knew better. This tall, terrifying, and elegant woman was in her early 80's, though it was nearly impossible to tell that. "You couldn't shut the door on your way out?" She inquired irritably. The girl, now splattered in blood, smacked her palm to her head. She had tried to keep the fight as short and quiet as possible, but a simple mistake had woken up the fearsome woman, who now glowered down the young faunus's head. She finally let out a sigh and moved aside to let the girl in. "I had to wake up early anyways. You're lucky Sorrell, let's get something to warm you up. I know you hate the cold."

About an hour later as the morning sun brightened the horizon, Sorrell was curled up under heavy blankets with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands,sipping the drink happily. Granny was in the kitchen making herself some tea, and things seemed normal despite the earlier grimm attack. Granny strode into the the living room space and sat down on a small couch on the far side of the wall. "Sorell…" The girl's ear pricked up as she turned her attention to the woman. " I've raised you since you were quite young. You've always had so much promise in ridding this world of evil. I raised you well, but my teaching is limited. I am only one old woman and I grow weak." Sorrell looked at the woman in confusion and set her coffee mug on the ground by her bed.

"What's this about?" Agitation crawled into the young girl's voice. She had never known a life outside of the forest and the small hut. It was always the same routine and the animal instincts of her faunus side screamed of joy in the woods. Now the only figure she had known in her life was talking like they were going to be separated. The old woman sighed and took a sip of her tea, letting her fatigue show for the first time. The girl turned away, not wanting to see her like that.

"You were brought to me under extreme measures. The events of your birth were pure fate, and I took that as a sign that you were a hope, a light if you will, against the evil darkness that's slowly threatening the land. You have great evil in your veins, so I trained your nature to be good. Now it is time to test that. You cannot fight the darkness locked up here in this hut." The old woman stared at the young faunus with intense green eyes, locking on to the wide honey brown ones curled up in a blanket.

"What?! No, I can't leave here. It's the only life I've ever known." She protested throwing off the blankets as she stood up. She was now dressed in black pants and boots with a short white t-shirt under a black jacket, a casual appearance for her. Her hair lay in long strands around her head. "Please tell me you aren't thinking about sending me away!" She looked at Granny in utter disbelief. However, the old woman was silent, not meeting her eyes. The girl looked around frantically and started heading for the door. "I-I need a minute." Then she was running, dodging through through field and into the darkness of the woods.

"Sorrell wait-!" But she had already run from the house, her anxiety leaving a trail that would draw in the Grimm to her location. The Old woman looked mournfully at her disappearing figure until even her tail was gone into the shrubs. Just then a black car pulled up the rarely-used drive. The woman looked towards the man getting out and shook her head. "It's going to be a rough transition." She sighed.

The man looked towards where the girl had vanished. "She doesn't even know the oppression or terrorism associated with her people. However, I'm sure she will make very good progress. We always have room for those whose lives have been devoted to the hunt." He closed the car door and gestured towards the house. "May I?" The woman sighed and nodded leading him towards the house.

"It wasn't exactly her choice to be a huntress, she was born into this because of her awful mother. If Elaine hadn't saved her… well you know." The woman stated as they started towards the house. "Let's get some tea while we wait for her to come back. I have a feeling it's going to be awhile."

It was beginning to warm up as the morning rays of the sun cast over the emerald forest. Birds chirped overhead as an anxious faunus gracefully trampled over twigs and through bushes. Her face was one in deep thought. She had never known a world outside of this forest, hunting grimm and surviving on instinct, and the thought of another place both excited and terrified her, something she wasn't used to. She didn't like the way her gut dropped, or that her mind was frantically looking for alternative ways, it was like experiencing fear all over again, and it was extraordinarily unpleasant. She looked up out of her thought only to dark emerald all around her, nearly blotting out the sun and a small brook under the jade leaves not too far ahead. It was peaceful, a perfect place for thought, yet dangerous. Sorrell had found throughout her life that nature is a beautiful thing to behold, even more so when taking a risk against unexpected Grimm attacks. And although the forest they lived in wasn't too heavily populated with the creatures that terrified so many, she could understand the reluctance of those whose profession it is to go into densely populated areas of grimm.

Approaching the stream, Sorrell knelt down to splash cool water on her face. Normally she hated the cold but she needed something to wake her up fully. This wasn't a dream, she was going to be sent away from the only life she'd known, to where? Where could she go where she would belong? The sprawling cities that lay about the land would surely be no place for her. She had not met more than 5 people in her lifetime, how would she handle cities full of them? There were so many questions she couldn't answer unless she actually left. Would there be other people who fought grimm? They ran through her head on repeat. Living a completely sheltered life had surely affected her morals. What she thought and did would not be the same as those that she would meet.

A growl interrupted her thoughts and she looked up in time to see a large beowulf jump out at her. She spun around and ducked as it flew over head, whipping out her bow and aiming it at the beast. Two more leaked out of the darkness and started circling around her. She concentrated on their movements as they slowly tensed up, ready to pounce. Just when they neared her, she threw up a barrier of energy which shocked the beowulf which had jumped in her direction. It fell to the ground twitching as she fired an arrow straight to its gut. The one behind her drew in closer and closer, challenging her. However, Sorrell needed the release, she craved killing the grimm, something she never fully understood. She closed her eyes, sensing the creature's movements, listening to the tension of its muscles as they readied to spring. She smelled the earth as it's hind legs tore the dirt when it jumped and she heard the whistle of air as it's body made its way to her. In an instant she opened her eyes slamming the force of electricity into the beast, frying its body with electricity. She smiled when she heard its breathing stop. The last grimm stared at her from across the clearing, challenging her to take action. She readied an arrow, aiming for its head. The beast dodged the arrow as she let it fly, surprising her as it knocked her to the ground and jumped back from her body. She whirled around, now on her feet and changed her bow into a sword, racing towards the beast. It barely had time to reach her before she was slamming it backwards with an energy burst. She spun her sword around and sliced off the beast's head, stepping back to avoid the blood.

Taking a breath she looked around at the violent scene before her. It could have been much bloodier, but thankfully the beowulf of this area only traveled in small packs. She took her bow to the brook and knelt down by the waters. She recalled when she made it, the only time she had left the hut. They walked to the forge far down the road, her and Granny. The man there was a tall burly man with dirt and charcoal on his face, and he had a gruff voice. All around various forms of dust lay ready to be incorporated into weapons. The man had taken one look at Sorrell and smiled, in a way it was eerie, though she never knew why. He showed her how to make various weapons and how to make them change to target ranged foes. She had a book at the time that she really loved and the hero had a bow, so she knew what she wanted when the blacksmith showed her the bows. The man had said that it would be a good craft, and that though the forge was old school, it would work perfectly. She spent days in that forge, making the bow out of the most beautiful metal that Granny had given to her. She named the bow Fintan, a name meaning white fire, and she loved it endlessly. Granny had been so proud, and trained her for months on how to use it properly.

Gently she placed the weapon into the water. As the blood ran off of it and small rays of light caught on the metal sending a ripple effect over everything, she thought to herself that Granny was right, she could do a lot more good by going into the world than by staying here. She could get answers to her past, something she had always wanted to know. Once the bow was clean she strapped it back onto her guiver which was attached to her back by a strap that went over her shoulder.

There was a strange man in the house when Sorrell came back. It startled her because she had rarely seen anyone in the house except for Granny's daughter, Elaine. He had white hair, glasses, and a scarf and was sipping tea like he had lived there his whole life. Sorrell's own coffee mug still sat on the ground by her bed, probably cold by now. Granny and him were having a grand time chatting, but their laughter and conversation ceased the moment Sorrell made her appearance in the doorway. Granny smiled, "I'm glad to see you back safely." But Sorrell was concentrated on the man who looked at her with calculating eyes.

"Hello Sorrell, I am professor Ozpin, it is nice to meet you." He said taking a sip of his tea. She mumbled a hello back to him and stalked to the bed of furs, sitting down and wrapping herself in a blanket. She looked between Granny and Ozpin waiting for an explanation. "I've heard quite a lot about you." He started. "You've grown up training with Belinda here, who is a good friend of mine and a very well trained huntress. I have no doubt that your abilities are very efficient in the art of hunting grimm." He looked towards Granny, whose name she had never known until now.

"Yeah, So?" She inquired a little rudely, but she wasn't having the best day and she had no idea who this man was.

"Well, you see, I am the headmaster at an academy called Beacon. We train the best and brightest to hunt grimm and become successful hunters and huntresses. It has been brought to my attention that you are now old enough to attend. So, I would like to ask you if you want to go to school there. By all means you have a right to decline my offer if you think that you won't be able to handle the transition." He sipped his tea again, not meeting her eyes, but challenging her in his words. Sorrell bowed her head in thought.

"Will I be stuck in the city the whole time?" Ozpin smiled politely.

"You are welcomed in the city, but field trips will take you out into the forest and we have a courtyard at the school." Sorrell's ears pricked. An opportunity to see the world, have a place to stay, and still be allowed to go out into the woods. There was only one thing preventing her from going, from making such a huge change.

"What about Granny?" She turned to the old woman who she had cared so much for over these last 17 years. She smiled firmly at the young girl.

"I'm going on a hunt. Just like old times." Sorrell thought to herself again. Finally reaching an idea.

"If I go to beacon can I come home when Granny gets back if i don't like it there?" The two adults exchanged a look. A flash of sad knowledge passed between them, one that Sorrell luckily didn't catch. Ozpin sipped his tea again, finishing it and tipping it upside down to show that the contents were, in fact, empty.

"Yes. I will make that deal. So...What do you say?" Sorrell's head was reeling when she she stood up.

"I-I'll go. Let me just gather my things." The man nodded and turned back towards Granny.

"Could I trouble you for some more tea?" Granny nodded and beckoned for Sorrell to follow her. Inside of the kitchen, Granny pulled Sorrell into a tight, overwhelming hug. They sat like that for a long time before she was able to breathe again and the old woman pulled back.

"I have done well by you, and I am very proud. Now, go out into the world with honor and dignity. Always remember, we are born neither light nor dark, your actions will define you. Some don't understand this, they choose evil for their personal gain, don't trust these people. Listen to what feels like the right thing to do and know that you are loved. You've lived a solitary life, but you will soon be surrounded by people who care for you, do not forsake those people." She pulled Sorrell in for another hug before sending her to pack up her belongings and starting Ozpin's tea. The old woman thought to herself as the girl walked away that nothing would ever be the same after today.

Sorrell watched in silent mourning as the small hut and the old woman, now waving goodbye, faded behind the trees. Everything she had ever known faded into an emerald blur behind the vehicle. She had never been in a car and the experience was strange, but not bothersome. Granny had taught her some things about the outside world, like cars, history,science, and math, but experiencing them was a lot different. She was on her way to become a new person, and the change was exciting. Her few belongings were in a suitcase stowed away in the trunk of the car and Ozpin drove while she sat in the passenger seat. She stretched and glanced at Fintan, which had its own seat in the back and was strapped in tightly with a seat belt, something she had insisted.

The trees rushed past steadily out the window, it was like noticing everything for the first time. Ozpin caught her staring at the rushing trees in admiration and chuckled to himself. It was going to be a long car ride back, and even then she would arrive a day early. It was difficult to pull away from work just to get this girl, but a small intuitive voice told him that she was destined to do something great. The next few years at Beacon were bound to be historical and all the world needed were the heros to ensure that the lights would not diminish, and humanity could keep its standing against a rapidly growing darkness. Then there was the matter of Belinda, whose hunt was deemed "impossible". Yet the woman insisted on going claiming that it would be an honorable death. He looked at Sorrell sadly and reminded himself that some things are better to be discovered in time.


End file.
